Riley still has style but a little less substance - Pat Riley - NBA Report - Column

The travails of Mark Fuhrman and Bob Packwood have commanded our attention recently. So have the personal lives of Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie.

With all there is to keep up with, the public failed to notice how shabbily Pat Riley was treated by the Knicks. As he left the Knicks for the Heat, Riley wanted to make sure everyone knew the pain and suffering he endured at the hands of that corporate entity.

Riley unburdened himself in a three-part series with the New York Daily News. He whined about how unpleasant his last two years had been as the team changed ownership. He charged that club President Dave Checketts went from being one of his greatest supporters to his adversary. He talked about promises broken, trades not made and a collapse of trust.

"I got tired of being used, manipulated, promised, ignored, threatened and eventually, I got tired of somebody not living up to his word," Riley said.

Checketts dismissed Riley's allegations as outrageous and "a desperate attempt at damage control." It is interesting that the words Riley chose to describe his treatment are the same words his players have used to describe their deteriorating relationship with him.

It is absurd to criticize Riley for leaving the Knicks. His deal with the Heat gives him complete control of the basketball operations, pays an average of $3 million a year and provides him with an ownership interest in the franchise.

But it's also absurd of Riley to talk about his principles and maintain his move had nothing to do with money. It had everything to do with money, and image.

Riley's image was beginning to suffer in New York. Not only did his team fail to win a championship, it had taken a step back last season when it was unable to advance past the second round of the playoffs. He lost his characteristic cool -- and as a result, the ear of his players -- when he blasted his team for being unprofessional after a regular-season loss to the Heat.

Cracks had begun to show in Riley's slick veneer. He was seven years removed from his last championship team with the Lakers. His sheer intensity and will, which many believe drove the Knicks his first three years with the club, was muted by his desire for control. Riley was four years into his five-year plan of bringing the Knicks a title and was staring at the prospect of having to get past the Magic and Pacers in the East to make it happen. He concluded it wouldn't happen and left.

Riley vehemently rejects that premise. He says the Knicks are tough mentally and physically, says they are honed for a championship and maintains their window of opportunity remains open for at least one more year.

Still, Riley was in danger of becoming just another coach in New York. His championship aura had faded. The chance to reinvent himself with an unprecedented deal was unquestionably a part of his motivation in going to Miami.

Riley can talk all he wants about principle and winning. The fact is he no longer appears to be a man of substance. The trappings of success -- the $300 per diem in his new contract, the public-relations firm he retains -- have taken the place of what made him a success.

Maybe that should be the subject of Riley's next book.

Around the league

The Spurs' Dennis Rodman joins Riley on the list of mistreated souls. "I have been discredited, treated wrong, abused the last several years," Rodman says. "I want to be respected and paid. Rookies have been getting $6 million and $7 million. I've been getting $2 million to do what I do. I'd rather just sit out." Rodman, who is scheduled to make $2.5 million in 1995-96, wants a two-year extension that would average $6 million. His timing is bad. If the proposed collective-bargaining agreement is approved, Rodman will have to wait another year before being able to sign the contract he wants. ... Warriors guard Latrell Sprewell was arrested outside Oakland recently on charges of driving with a suspended license and the exhibition of speed -- gunning his engine -- a more serious charge than speeding. ... The Celtics' Dominique Wilkins and Xavier McDaniel have fled to Greece. Now, the Jazz's Karl Malone is making noises that he will play in Europe if the union decertifies. "If the agents were running this business," Malone says, "I would quit playing today." The Celtics were willing to let Wilkins depart so they could use his salary slot. It had become clear he didn't fit into their plans. The Jazz would not be so understanding if Malone tried to play overseas.

COPYRIGHT 1995 Sporting News Publishing Co.
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